A once-in-a-lifetime package just landed on the JBF online auction block: lunch with foodie do-gooders Michael Pollan and Alice Waters at the temple to California cuisine, Chez Panisse. On top of this meeting of the sustainability-focused minds, you'll also get one copy each of Pollan’s Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual and Waters’s In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart. (But if you want to get their autographs, you're on your own.)
Learn more about this exciting opportunity!

The JBF Gala Dinner and Auction is still several weeks away, but our silent auction is already up and rolling online. The packages are as exciting as ever, including a spot in an Italian-wine class at the Astor Center, a Daniel-Boulud restaurant hop, and a weekend in Sonoma Wine Country. Visit www.jbfauction.cmarket.com to learn more. We’re constantly adding new packages, so check back often! Bidding will remain open through November 8, with the silent auction taking place on November 10 at the magnificent Four Seasons Restaurant. As always, all proceeds will go toward supporting the James Beard Foundation.

We're wrapping up the week with another helping of photos from Wednesday's American Icons gala auction and dinner at the Four Seasons Restaurant. Scroll down for shots of the fabulous crowd and stunning space. (For yesterday's batch, click here.)

JBF president Susan Ungaro and Charlie Palmer
pose for a photo during the VIP reception

Our annual gala auction and dinner was held at the Four Seasons Restaurant last night, and the food, wine, and bidding were as exciting as ever! Scroll down for some of our favorite photos of the event; click here for even more images.

Petrossian American white sturgeon caviar on brioche

The silent auction awaiting bidders in the Four Seasons Restaurant Grill Room

On the eve of our annual gala auction and dinner, we're excited to share this short video of some lucky folks enjoying one of the live auction packages auctioned off at last year's event. With some help from Edward Lee of Magnolia 610 in Louisville, Kentucky, JBF Chairman Woodrow Campbell threw a festive head-to-tail pig roast for family and friends in his Connecticut home over the summer. Watch the video below to see chef Lee in action and the life story of a black heritage pig named Mathilda:

More than 35 years after James Beard wrote American Cookery, American chefs have transcended their underdog status. Among those chefs who have achieved celebrity in their own right, some have even become icons. At this year's gala dinner and auction we're celebrating American cuisine and the icons who helped create it. And what better way to do so than a fantastic multi-course menu? Here's a preview of what will grace the tables at Wednesday's sold-out event at the Four Seasons Restaurant:
ReceptionJBF Award Winner Fabio Trabocchi, The Four Seasons Restaurant, NYC
Otoro with Fennel PollenKumamoto Oysters with Cauliflower and Lobster AspicParsnip Cappuccino with Périgord Black TrufflesFoie Gras Sandwiches on Pain d'EpiceNantucket Bay Scallops with Parsley and Piment d'EspeletteDinnerJBF Award Winner Dan Barber

Our online auction officially closes at 4:00 P.M. on Monday, November 9, which means you still have a few more days to bid on spectacular gourmet, travel, and gift packages!
And we're still adding new offerings, including a trip to the annual Oregon Truffle Festival in Eugene. The winning bidder will get a coveted seat at the decadent Grand Truffle Dinner prepared by beloved local chefs Stephanie Pearl-Kimmel and Rocky Maselli, as well as Gabriel Rucker, Naomi Pomeroy and other feisty Portland newcomers. After feasting on your fill of this buried treasure, you'll spend the night at the C'est la Vie Inn, a beautiful bed and breakfast housed in an impeccably restored Queen Anne Victorian mansion. To learn more about the package and make your bid, click

One of the most enthusiastically received restaurants to open this year, Daniel Boulud’s DBGB anchors hearty brasserie cuisine within the edgy spirit of New York’s Lower East Side. With a menu that encourages sharing, an energetic ambiance, and the seemingly infinite beer selection, it’s the perfect venue for a large and lively get-together.
And now, as part of our online auction, you can win the ultimate DBGB fête! The winning bidder will enjoy an unforgettable evening with 13 friends at the restaurant’s private Kitchen Table, complete with a three-course dinner featuring delicious housemade sausages and sommelier-selected craft beers. Click here to view all the package details.

Adored by readers for its adventurous journalism, authentic recipes, and stunning photography, Saveur reigns as one of the world's most popular food titles. As part of our online auction, we've got a priceless, too-good-to-be-true package that hands you the key to the heart of the magazine: the test kitchen! The winning bidder and five friends will join the Saveur editors for a private cooking lesson and wine tasting in the space, followed by an intimate lunch. Last, but not least, you'll get a year-long subscription.
To view even more exciting gourmet packages, click